WAVERLEY Borough Council and Haslemere Town Council were besieged by complaints of planning breaches at a property in Petworth Road.

Neighbours were horrified last week when builders moved in at number 48 with no advance warning and cleared the frontage, dug a 30 metre-long trench and felled trees leading to ancient protected woodland in an area of outstanding natural beauty at Swan Barn owned by the National Trust.

"We have been bombarded by very concerned residents because there have been no planning applications," said Haslemere Town Council community manager Rebecca Ames.

"I contacted the police, Waverley, Surrey Wildlife Trust, the local badger group, Surrey County Council and pretty much everyone I could to say they were felling trees in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

"I visited the site where they had felled 350-year-old oak trees and 200-year-old beech trees close to National Trust woodland with police officers.

"The foreman tried to chase me off the site and the police had to tell him to stand somewhere else."

Neighbours have protested that an unlawful access has been created and are upset that no official action was taken immediately to prevent trees being felled.

Complaints

Responding to the complaints, Waverley’s head of planning Matthew Evans confirmed his department had received calls from concerned residents.

"Waverley’s Tree Officer first visited the site on October 11 and although he found that trees had been removed, they were not protected by a Tree Preservation Order and were not of such significant public amenity to warrant the serving of an order," he said.

"The Forestry Commission also visited the site and is satisfied that there had been no breach of felling controls.

"However, the council does recognise the importance of nearby woodland and, although it is not under immediate threat, consideration is currently being given to making it the subject of a Tree Preservation Order to protect this area.

"In addition to tree felling, excavation work was taking place.

"An engineering trench has been dug on the site without permission and as a result the landowner has been advised that the trench will need to be filled within 21 days otherwise consideration will be given to serving an enforcement notice.

"Although a gap has been cleared at the front of the site there was no evidence that this is being used as an access point to the site which would require planning permission.

"Waverley would like to confirm that Waverley staff have not been verbally abused or forcibly ejected from the site by construction workers.

Last resort

"In response to the suggested course of action by Robert Serman, we can confirm that we do have the power to serve an injunction.

"However, this is only appropriate as a last resort in serious cases of unauthorised development causing significant harm to local amenity.

"It was not felt that the digging of a trench warranted such an approach.

"We understand local concern about the activity on the site and will continue to monitor it closely."

National Trust Black Down head warden David Elliott said: "We have had some concerns about how it might affect the character of Swan Barn Farm.

"I am pleased that Waverley Borough Council have taken action to protect the main block of woodland which we were concerned about and have protected it with a Tree Preservation Order."